Summary
Maintaining fluid and autonomous mobility is a central challenge in any longevity-focused approach. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the loss of functional mobility is one of the main determinants of dependency in older adults, with nearly 35% of people over 65 experiencing at least one fall per year—often linked to decreased postural control and neuromuscular coordination. Preserving these functions is essential not only for extending lifespan but more importantly, healthspan. Progressive degradation of motor control, proprioception, and postural stability contributes to a decline in autonomy, increased falls, chronic pain, and functional dependence. In this context, the DPA Med®—a biomechanical device that provides passive and active mobilization in decompression—emerges as an innovative tool for supporting active, durable, and neurofunctional longevity.
Used regularly—2 to 3 times per week for 10 to 20 minutes—the device gently stimulates deep stabilizing neuromuscular chains, reprograms reflex motor patterns, and promotes myofascial release beneficial to joint mobility. This routine helps prevent motor decline, maintain autonomous gait, and optimize functional performance in both daily life and sports activities.
Aging naturally involves a decline in physiological functions, particularly motor abilities. Sarcopenia, loss of neuromuscular coordination, and decreased proprioception lead to alterations in motor patterns, compromising posture, balance, and gait. Preventing this degenerative cascade requires regular stimulation of deep muscles, reflex motor control, and intersegmental coordination.
The DPA Med® generates a lemniscate (figure-eight) movement in a supine position, mimicking the pelvic oscillations seen during natural gait. This movement induces reflex dissociation between shoulder and pelvic girdles. A study published in Gait & Posture (Bensoussan et al., 2021) showed that this pattern achieves an optimal frequency of 0.808 Hz—equivalent to normal walking cadence—triggering deep neuromuscular responses, especially in the transverse abdominis and lumbar multifidus.
This decompressive biomechanical motion enables gentle mobilization without gravitational load, ideal for frail or recovering patients. It also promotes neuro-myofascial release, supporting joint mobility restoration.
One of the key advantages of the DPA Med® is its ability to reflexively activate trunk-stabilizing muscles, even without the user’s conscious awareness of body mechanics. Simple instructions—such as "slow the movement"—trigger automatic contraction of deep muscles. This implicit motor learning transfers to upright activities, improving posture, pelvic stability, and gait fluidity.
For elderly individuals, regular use helps maintain a functional threshold required for independent living. Within primary prevention, the DPA Med® fits into geriatric care pathways, nursing homes, and home settings.
However, its benefits extend beyond aging. Significant effects have also been observed in professional athletes—even in high-intensity disciplines such as rugby, combat sports, or alpine skiing. These users, although capable of training under load, report improvements in reflex coordination, pelvic mobility, and post-effort recovery with DPA Sport—the performance-focused version.
The passive mobilization induced by DPA Med® produces global myofascial release. This is essential for restoring joint amplitude, improving deep tissue circulation, and relieving chronic tension. By freeing fascial restrictions, the device enhances motion fluidity, gesture performance, and recovery after exertion. Supine positioning also supports venous and lymphatic drainage, aiding regeneration.
DPA Med® uniquely combines three pillars of functional neurostimulation: passive mobilization, reflexive active training, and biomechanical decompression. With a scientifically validated optimal frequency (0.808 Hz), it enables implicit retraining of foundational motor patterns, improving posture, coordination, and functional autonomy.
As a tool for autonomy preservation, neuromuscular rehabilitation, and performance support, DPA Med® is a lasting companion in any active longevity strategy. It doesn't just preserve motor capacity—it helps enhance it, even in already trained individuals, as shown by its growing adoption among elite-level professional athletes.
Thus, the DPA Med®—or its performance version, DPA Sport—is suited to both medical facilities and individuals committed to maintaining global health and lifelong freedom of movement.
Author: Christophe BENSOUSSAN with the support of AI - Image credits ©ChatGPT
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